Just For Kicks
by Dark Twilight Rose
Summary: A new girl moves in and the peaceful town starts to reveal secrets. Secrets that maybe shouldn't have been revealed. What kind of secrets? How do they link together? And what does the richest kid in town have to do with it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Animal Crossing, I'd get sued for influencing little children with the never ending yaoi, though there is none in this story... But, no, I don't Animal Crossing: City Folk (or any Animal Crossing for that matter). =P

**Note:** Mainly based on City Folk! There will not be yaoi. And I named the town in this story after the city I live in… couldn't think of anything else, and it's a cute name. My friend Recia convinced me to write this, hence, her favorite character, Punchy. And many more of her ideas she encouraged me to use… Which also contributes to the part that many, if not all, of the non-villagers' ages are tinkered with (especially Nook's- he's only twenty-three in this-good heavens *dies*). Oh, and, for some reason I can see Blathers with a tiny British accent. After all, he does say "Simply smashing!"

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The sound of footsteps on snow could be heard a few feet away. The creator of the noise was a young cat. His black and white fur was messy, but only looked the part. He walked in silence until he came to the bus stop. There were numerous rumors that a new girl would move into the quaint little town that day. He decided to get up extra early to be the first one to meet her. He glanced to the left and squinted. In the distance, a big, yellow, square-like vehicle slowly made its way to its destination. He smiled and watched the bus come closer, closer, and then finally come to a stop. The bright yellow bus caused the cat to squint. After a moment, the door slid open and a petite young girl stepped into view. Her light blue hair stuck out in two low ponytails from underneath her hat. Her shoes tapped lightly as she came down the steps. When she reached the bottom she turned around and waved to the bus driver.

"Good bye. Nice meeting you!" She said with an English accent. She turned around, still smiling, and noticed the small cat. "Oh, hello. I'm Luna." Her British accent was light, but it gave the girl a sophisticated tone. She seemed like a friendly, likable person.

"Hi, I'm Punchy!" The cat cried happily. He could tell that they would become good friends very quickly."Welcome to-"

"Welcome to Brentwood!" Another voice interrupted. The voice was one familiar to Punchy. They both turned around to find a gray elephant. He was wearing a huge smile on his face. Just the person Punchy thought it would be. "I'm Dizzy, uh, not to get confused with the verb!"

"It's an adjective." Punchy replied with an annoyed tone in his voice. He tried not acting too bothered by the elephant, but couldn't help being a little annoyed. The elephant just shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee. A pleasure to meet you both," said Luna. She smiled kindly and gave a slight nod. It seemed as if her sweetness could be sensed a mile away.

"We'd love to show you around, but it'd be better idea to check in with the Town Hall first. And, you know, pick your house." Punchy explained. All the while Dizzy nodded eagerly. It was a good idea to know where you live before going around and goofing off. "Then you can meet us at the fountain and we'll give you the grand tour!" Ah, the grand tour. The tour in which they spend the whole day learning more or less useful stuff and an equal amount of useless stuff. It was always a fun tour though. Very exciting, well, the city part was at least.

"Yup! We'll even take the bus and show you the city!" Dizzy chimed in. Yup the city. A nice little shopping area not far from Brentwood. Dizzy's eyes were full of anticipation. He smiled happily imagining they fun they would have. It seemed too long to wait for to get her house.

"How kind! I'll meet you there then." She replied. Punchy and Dizzy stepped aside and let her through. She walked a little while and stopped to look at her map. She nodded and continued in the direction to Town Hall. Once the two animals were sure she knew the way they began a conversation-or more like an argument.

"Dizzy! It was _my_ turn to say 'Welcome to Brentwood'! You did it _last_ time!" Punchy growled.

"It was? I did? Oops, haha, sorry," Dizzy said while rubbing the back of his head in a nervous manner. Punchy rolled his eyes. Dizzy was always the forgetful type. No matter how many times he tries to remember, he will never get it right. "You want to go see Lukas?" The elephant asked finally. They hadn't seen Lukas since yesterday and that was too long ago. Punchy looked at the elephant and responded by nodding. The two walked over to the two story house not far away. Lukas lived in that house, the fancy two story next to the gate. He had just moved into Brentwood a few weeks ago and he already got himself rich. How he did it- no one knew. He was just talented that way.

Punchy and Dizzy were barely ten feet away when the boy came out of his house with his fishing rod. His brown hair hardly swayed from the breeze. He took notice of the two animals and, without a word, turned on his heel and made his way back into his home. Just when he was about to shut the door Punchy yelled out, "Don't you act like you don't see us!" The boy froze like a mannequin in Gracie Grace and then lowered his head. He stepped out of his warm house once again and walked over to the two. The boy, to most people, would seem like a mute. But that's not it at all. It's not that he doesn't want to, or doesn't try to talk. It's that he's not really given the chance to. Whenever he opens his mouth, someone else speaks up (so instead, most of the time, he shows what he's thinking with body language and expressions).

Lukas opened his mouth to greet them and it happened again. "The new girl arrived. She's really nice." Punchy inferred. Lukas smiled and nodded, encouraging him to go on. He got used to being cut off, so it didn't really bother him anymore. "We're going ta show her around later, want to come?" He asked. Lukas put his chin in his fist and looked up, his way of saying, 'Let me think about it for a sec,' then he looked at Punchy and nodded. He would be happy to. After all it was a chance at getting to know someone new.

"Okay great!" Dizzy spoke. Then, he came up with the greatest idea- one that he knew they all would like. "While we're waiting let's go bug Nook!" He cried in a mischievous manner.

"Okay," Lukas and Punchy said in unison. Annoying the hell out of Nook was their daily thing. The three enjoyed pestering the young salesman- it was always a way to liven things up. So, they made there way to the left of the town where the store, Nook n' Go, was located. They passed Stinky who was on his way to the river to catch some fish. They waved and Stinky waved back, smiling. Ahead, they could see the store so they walked a little faster. When they strolled into the store, Punchy immediately spoke up. "Nooky I'm HOOOOOME!" He decided to say. This caused some giggle fits from the others- including from Merry who was in the store at the time. The salesman looked up in disbelief from behind the counter. When he saw them he looked up at the ceiling and lipped, '_Why_!?' and then proceeded to slam his head on the hard, cold, counter.

"_Don't_ feel free to look around. If you have questions _please hesitate_ to ask," the raccoon spoke, his voice slightly muffled. The three friends laughed and of course, didn't hesitate. They went up to the raccoon and started a conversation.

"So Nook, what's up?" Lukas said, surprised at the fact that he didn't get cut off. He looked up and said, "It looks like the ceiling," he explained nodding, "From my point of vie-"

"Is there a spotlight item today? I have a bit of extra cash I want to spend," Dizzy asked. Dizzy didn't really notice he had just interrupted his friend. No one ever notices. It was just another normal thing to do in the small town. Cut off the quiet guy.

Nooks eyes lit up at the words "extra" and "cash" (especially "cash"). He lifted his head from the counter and spoke in his normal voice, which always seemed to sound like he was advertising for whatever it was you were buying, "Why, yes actually. It's a White King only 8,000 bells. Quite a bargain, hm?"

"Oh…I don't have 8,000." Dizzy said disappointingly. He was hoping he could get something with 1,405 bells- which was all he had in his pockets.

"No White King for you then," Nook said sourly, his bored expression taking over his face yet again. His eye lids moved to the middle of his eyes making him look sleepy.

"But I really want it!" Dizzy complained. He couldn't wait until tomorrow- it wouldn't be there anymore. He had to have it. The feeling of need and want forced into his soul and he knew exactly where he would put it in his house. It would cause perfect harmony with his furniture.

"What, do you expect for me to give it to you free?" Nook said sarcastically. He looked even more bored at that point, if it was even possible.

"Oh, would you?!" Dizzy cried with glee. For some strange reason, he actually believed he would get it for free. It was a nice thought though.

Nook made a face that said, 'does he seriously think that!? What's wrong with this kid?' "Pfft, uh, no!" He said as if it was obvious, which it was. Dizzy's happiness disappeared and he pouted. Nook rolled his eyes and rested his chin in his hands again. Then he realized he had to be somewhere. "Okay everybody out of the store; I need to see someone about a house."

"Oh, that's Luna!" Punchy explained remembering Nook was the landlord of all the houses. Merry walked over to them with a curious look on her face.

"Luna?" Lukas, Nook and Merry asked in sync. They looked at each other in amusement and then turned to Punchy and Dizzy.

"Yes, she's the new girl. She's really nice," said Dizzy. Nook nodded and escorted everyone out of his store. Outside, he locked the door and left in the direction of the first house, where Luna would be. It's a wonder how Nook knows exactly where a person is... It's kind of creepy too.

"Well, now we wait by the fountain for Luna. The tour will be awesome." Punchy stated. He smiled and the three walked to the fountain near the middle of town. The fountain was added a few days ago thanks to Lukas. It was beautiful and was a nice place to sit and enjoy the sound of water swooshing rapidly. Well, it was a nice place, unless you had to go to the bathroom. On their way they passed a tree that had 'Jay + Merry 4ever' carved on to it. _Cute_, thought Punchy, _I didn't know they were together…_ Once they got to the fountain, they took a seat around it and waited. The gray brick that made up the wall of the fountain was cold and slightly damp from the mist.

A few minuets passed that seemed like hours and the three were still waiting. Punchy yawned getting tired of all this waiting. "Where is she?" Then it hit him. "Oh no. Nook wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" Dizzy asked. "Oh wait, you mean the part-time job thing?" Punchy nodded. Lukas slapped his forehead with his hand. His way of saying 'Man, I hated that!' or 'idiot!' Right now it was probably the first one.

"That's not fair. We have to do something! W-whoa!" Punchy said, trying to stand up, but instead he lost his balance and tumbled backward into the fountain. Being a cat, he hated water so he quickly recovered and, as fast as he could, he jumped out of the cold, dreaded liquid. Lukas and Dizzy started to crack up laughing. Punchy's fur was soaking and dripping. His ears were flopped downward and his shocked expression made it priceless. He turned around to start yelling at his friends when Luna came up to them, tired and ready to relax.

"Hey guys! Whoa, what happened to you?" She said staring at Punchy. She had a grin on her face as if she was trying not to laugh. Punchy grabbed his arms and started shivering. Boy, that water was cold. "We should get him a towel of some sort, shouldn't we?" She spoke, her British accent sounding thicker than before.

"Ah, he'll be fine," Lukas stated, receiving a glare from a certain, unlucky kitty. "I'm Lukas, nice to meet you, Luna."

"It's a pleasure. So, are we going to start this tour thing?" Luna asked kindly. Lukas and Dizzy nodded and they traveled to the first stop. Punchy was happy with this stop for it was the Able Sisters, where he could get a warm, dry shirt. They walked in and Punchy immediately went to the shirts. He decided to take the Number One Shirt. It was the only good one there at the time and it made him 'Number One'. Luna said hello to the two porcupines that owned and ran the store. One of them, Sable, was really quiet. Once Punchy was all set and ready with his new shirt they walked out of the store and over to the museum. There Luna was explained about the exhibits by an owl named Blathers. He had a small English accent himself. He and Luna got along quickly, she loved dinosaur fossils and art and so did he. Once Blathers and Luna were finished, they went into the Roost, the coffee shop. Ah, nice, boiling hot coffee.

"This is where they sell coffee. It's the best coffee ever." Dizzy said. Luna smiled and nodded. She didn't have any bells, though, so she couldn't try it for herself.

The Town Gate was next. It was a beautiful gate. Big and cabin-like. Cooper and Booker were really nice. Luna found out about a Lost and Found and that she could change the flag which, truthfully, needed some changing.

"I'm assuming you've already been to Nook's. So now, the moment we've all been waiting for!" Punchy cried excitedly. "The city! C'mon we have to take the bus." They walked out of the Town Gate and to the bus stop. There, the bus waited patiently. They hoped on the yellow vehicle and were surprised to see someone they all knew. "Rover!" Punchy said and ran over to sit next to the blue and white cat.

"'Ello Rover," said Luna. Lukas nodded cheerfully. Dizzy just waved- he didn't know Rover that well. He's just seen him once, and that's it.

"Hey, nice to see you again, Luna! Oh, Lukas! Haven't seen you in forever," stated Rover as the bus started moving. Lukas nodded and smiled widely. "So, what are guys up to? Going to the city?" Rover was a cute cat with equally cute red eyes. He was very friendly and liked to meet new people, which is why he's a traveler.

"Yup! We're giving Luna the grand tour." Punchy said. He smiled and tilted his head slightly. Rover laughed happily.

"Going to the city for the first time is always fun, Luna," explained Rover. "It's a nice city, lots of interesting buildings to go into and visit." This was true. There was Gracie Grace, Shampoodle, the Auction House, Happy Room Academy HQ, the Marquee, and others, too.

"Is that so? I can't wait then." Luna admitted. She truly couldn't; she was hoping they would arrive quickly.

"Ah, and you mustn't wait any longer, ya wee sea cucumber. The city be right ahead." Kapp'n said. And he was right. Up ahead the stores of the city could be seen. Luna smiled, it looked wonderful.

"Will I see you again, sometime soon?" Punchy asked Rover. Rover smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not. I come and go, you know that!" Rover said. Punchy pouted. "Don't worry, you will. Whether it'll be soon or not- I can't say." At that the bus slowed down to a stop.

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**Note:** I'll end it here for now. It's a good place to stop. Oh and the Jay and Merry thing? Yeah, random, just plain random. Might be a bigger thing later on. Well I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter! R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** So, we left off when they arrived at the city, right? Yeah, okay good. Another of my friends favorite characters comes in. I don't know if I'll make him important to the plot. Not much else to say except: enjoy!

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The four, Luna, Lukas, Dizzy, and Punchy, made their way to the front of the bus. The door opened and they walked down the steps. Punchy looked back and waved at Rover. Rover smiled and waved back, not really noticing the sad look in Punchy's eyes. The chance that he'd see Rover again was very low. Punchy turned back around when the bus left and pushed the thought away. Too bad someone didn't let him…

"What was that about?" Luna asked.

"What was what about?" Punchy responded trying to act confused. Lukas laughed.

"Stop pretending, you know what she means. And, Luna, it's just that Rover is like the sibling Punchy never had. He's like is older brothe-"

"Yeah exactly," Dizzy added. "So anyway, where do we go first?"

It was a clear, beautiful day in the city, no clouds were in sight. The light blue sky reflected on the big fountain's water making it glisten. Luna looked around and immediately knew where see wanted to go. "Gracie Grace," said Luna.

"Why the hell not?" Lukas said shrugging. He wasn't really a fan of Gracie Grace, but he didn't mind going. So they walked past the fountain and to the over-priced-junk-store, as Punchy calls it. The automatic doors slid open and they waltzed in, trying to act as if they actually had the money to buy something there. When they entered, Luna was amazed at the wonderfully beautiful clothing and furniture. The furniture was red and golden, as if it once belonged to a king and his queen. The clothes were many pretty colors and looked very fashionable. Luna smiled with delight. "Don't get your hopes up," whispered Lukas to Luna. "The cheapest thing here cost, like, 7,000. And when you do buy something it's not even worth your hard earned bel-"

"They, like never have anything new." Dizzy explained to the still dazed Luna. Lukas made an annoyed expression at Dizzy, but got over it quickly. He almost never gets to say that much anyway. Luna then realized what Lukas had said.

"7,000 bells!" Luna screamed. This caused all the animals in the store to stare at her. "Oh gosh," said Luna her English accent clearly visible (well, not _visible_ really) to everyone who didn't already know she had one. "I said that really loudly, didn't I?" Punchy put his paw on her shoulder and nodded in a fake-sympathetic way. Luna looked at him and gave a fake smile. See? They're friends already.

"I say we should back away slowly," informed Lukas noticing the animals were still staring at them weirdly. And they did just that. They slowly took a step back, turned on their heels and walked out, knowing that everyone in the store were still staring at them. "Well that ended beautifully," Lukas spoke, once outside, imitating Luna's accent. Luna shot a death glare at him that could pierce through metal. Lukas reacted by covering his eyes in a way of saying, 'My eyes, they burn!' Luna, Punchy, and Dizzy cracked up at that. "Uh, let's go to the Auction House next," said Lukas while rubbing his eyes. "We can see if anything cool is up for biddi-"

"Yeah, let's go!" Punchy cried happily. He loved the auction house. It was the perfect place to go to get used stuff, and who doesn't love used stuff?

"Hope there's something good I can get with 1,405 bells. Wait is it a bidding day?" Dizzy asked. Lukas put a finger on his chin and then nodded, smiling. Translation: "From what I remember, yes!" Dizzy gave a relieved sigh. "That's good; I'll finally be able to get something. Oh, hey is that Kicks? Cause, I could use a good shoe shine." They all glanced down at their own shoes and nodded (yes, I know most of them don't have shoes. Work with me here!).

"That's him alright. He shines shoes," Punchy said to Luna. "He's really nice. I really don't know much about him, though."

"Yup, which is weird because he knows everyone," said Lukas. Punchy _did_ know a lot of people, but 'everyone' was probably exaggerating...maybe.

Just then, a blue squirrel came up from behind Punchy and said, "Hiya," causing Punchy to jump five feet in the air- or at least it seemed like that. Cats can jump high, you know.

"Holy shmoly!" Punchy turned around and his expression changed when he saw who it was. It was an ol' friend of his. "Fil, dude, hey what's up?" Punchy asked.

"Hey Punch. I didn't expect to see you today!" The squirrel said. His bright blue fur was enough to have you shield your eyes.

"My point exactly, he knows EVERYONE!" Lukas said. Luna and Lukas, then, gave Punchy a look that said, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Guys, this is Filbert, my best bud." Punchy explained. At that, Dizzy made face. It was a face of betrayal and anger.

"I thought _I_ was your best bud!" Dizzy whined. He pouted and crossed his arms. Then, Lukas made the same face. This was beginning to be a problem.

"_I_ thought _I_ was your bes-" was all Lukas was allowed to say. Remember, he never gets to say much.

"Dizzy, you're my best _pal_ and Lukas, you're my best _friend_, and Filbert is my best bud." Then, just for the fun of it, Luna did the same. After all, she felt left out and wanted to get herself in.

"Uh, what about _me?_" Luna asked trying not to laugh. Punchy took a few seconds to think that through.

"You're my _girl_ best friend." Punchy replied finally. "And _anyway_, Fily, this is Lukas, Dizzy, and the new girl, Luna."

"Why am I always addressed as 'the new girl'," asked Luna. Everyone she met had been calling her that a lot. It was starting to get irritating. She _did_ have a name after all.

"Well, I could be because you _are_ th-" Lukas responded, or half-responded.

"Well I better be going, gotta catch a bus. See ya'll later!" Filbert waved and everyone waved back. Once he left, the four had forgotten what they were doing. They all looked around trying to remember.

"Oh yeah! Kicks!" Dizzy shouted, just a little too loudly for this got the attention of the young skunk. He looked up at them with curious eyes. They returned the look, but with a little more 'uh…' in it.

"Way to go dumb nut. Now what?" Punchy whispered. The skunk raised an eyebrow probably meaning, 'What?' Punchy glared at Dizzy and walked over to Kicks. "Hey, Kicks!"

Kicks smiled. "Hello, would you like a shoe shine?" He said with a Brooklyn accent. Luna pushed Punchy aside and nodded. Kicks stood up and signaled Luna to sit on the steps. The shoe shine was rather quick. Luna's shoes shone brightly. "Your shoes only needed a little buffin' so that one's on the house."

"Well, thank you. I think I'm starting to like this place!" Luna said happily.

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**Note:** I know I stopped it short, but whatever. I like this chapter. =) Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: **I apologize to my audience for disappearing. I have had issues that you may not care to know. Anyway, the third chapter, I hope you like it! Oh, if you like this, check out my brother's story in our game. We view the characters differently, it's a good way to compare writing styles as well. My brother is really good at writing, better than I, and his story is more humorous (actually hilarious =D). He is Kingdom Finale, look him up here at FF.

**Warning: **Hehe, sorry I couldn't help myself. There are, uh, homosexual _references_ in this chapter. But, don't worry no yaoi! It's not even serious, it's just a funny thing!

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During the next few days, Luna got to meet Ken, the richest person in Brentwood. He was a blond with beautiful hazel eyes, he was always wearing his tan trench coat- what he was known for. He was on vacation the first two days of Luna's arrival. Ken, she thought, seemed kind of nice, in a bossy way. She noticed that he treats Lukas like his servant, but at the same time treats him so kindly.

"So what's the deal with you guys?" Luna asked the afternoon of Ken's arrival. She looked at Lukas and then glared at Punchy, Stinky, and Dizzy, who were with them, telling them mentally to not interrupt Lukas.

"Huh? What do you me-"

"She means whats up with between you and Ken?" Punchy interrupted, receiving one of those death glares from Luna. Lukas stared at all of them in a curious manner. He shrugged, not really knowing the answer to that question. He's known Ken for a while and he himself has never noticed anything. He actually thought that he was the nicest person he has ever met.

"I know he's really nice, but... you know what? Forget it. I'm probably just going insane." Luna said, already bored of the topic. Punchy nodded, again receiving a death glare from Luna. She was sure he was nodding at the last thing she said and growled lowly at him. Punchy screeched like cat, because he is one, and ran. Luna ran after him barking like a dog. Stinky, Dizzy, and Lukas followed not wanting to be left out. They ended up in front of The Museum. Blathers came out wondering what was all the commotion when Punchy leaped into his arms.

"She's gonna kill me! Save me please!" Punchy yelled, hugging Blathers's neck rather tightly. Blathers rolled his eyes and placed Punchy down. "No! Please! Ah!" Luna stopped barking, but continued to growl lowly.

"May I ask what's going on?" Blathers asked curiously. Luna just shook her head and barked one last time, causing Punchy to take cover behind the owl.

"Oh, yes. Blathers, I have something I would like to donate," explained Luna as she reached into the depths of her pocket. Out she took a a little carrier with a small dragonfly inside. The poor dragonfly was desperately trying to find a way out.

"AH! Please, don't take that out of it's cage!" Blathers shouted immediately as he held himself tightly with his wings.

"Haha! At least I'm the only one who's afraid of Luna!" Exclaimed Punchy happily. Luna barked at him. This time he jumped into Lukas's arms. Lukas rolled his eyes and carelessly dropped Punchy onto the ground. "Oof! You can be more sensitive you know, Lukas!"

Later, at Nook's store, the five friends were bugging the crap out of the poor salesman.

"No, no, no, no. I will never allow you to get near the backroom. Besides, even _if_ I needed help, I wouldn't ask you. Ken, yes. Luna, perhaps. Lukas, sure. You, never going to happen." Nook carelessly explained to Dizzy who had asked if he could get a job as his assistant, or organize the backroom. Dizzy started to try to convince Nook, with no avail.

"What if I just organize the shelves then? Or I could handle the cash register?"

"NO! Even _less_! No one touches the cash register!" Nook yelled grabbing hold of his precious cash register. Punchy laughed and took a lollipop from the counter. "You'll have pay for that."

"Aww, but you loooove me! You wouldn't make your true love pay, would you?" Punchy said smiling sweetly with big puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, no. Pay up, now." Nook extended his hand. Punchy pouted, but payed. Meanwhile, at the back of the store, the other three- Stinky, Luna, and Lukas- were sneaking about doing nothing bad in particular, just spying.

"Say, is Punchy, you know...uh, well, you know." Stinky said – or _tried _say. Lukas looked on confused. Luna laughed loudly, almost losing their cover.

"Haha, I wish!" Luna giggled. Stinky rolled his eyes. "Then again, I'm not sure..."

"Explain what you guys are talking abou-" Lukas half-asked.

"He asked if Punchy was -" She didn't finish, for she started into another giggle-fit. Stinky rolled his eyes and whispered what he meant into Lukas's ear. Lukas blushed.

"Oh, haha, you gonna have to ask him yourself. I wouldn't know." Lukas said nervously. "he's never had a- a girlfriend, but-" Lukas then joined Luna in the crowd of giggles. Stinky rolled his eyes.

"Both of you guys are just...damn." Stinky said before he, too, joined them. By then, their cover was completely blown and Punchy, Dizzy, and Nook made their way toward them.

"You better not be messing with my products." Nook said as he looked around. Seeing that there was nothing wrong he walked back to his register. Dizzy, concerned over their non-stop giggling asked if they were okay. The only response was "My tummy hurts!" from Stinky.

"Are you guys on something?" Punchy asked trying not to giggle with them. Dizzy and Punchy looked at each other and shrugged. Stinky moved his foot, which tripped Punchy, who fell on Stinky, causing everyone to stop, then continue laughing even harder. Punchy blushed as he tried to get off of Stinky, who wasn't much help with his moving around laughing and holding his stomach.

After they all finally stopped laughing, Punchy and Dizzy demanded an explanation. "It doesn't even matter," Stinky said having one last giggle escape his lips. Punchy pouted. "You pout too much," Stinky said smiling sweetly, the pain in his stomach finally gone. Punchy blushed.

"Ah! Just tell me!" Punchy said, losing patience. Stinky looked at Luna who smiled devilishly, and then at Lukas who shrugged.

"I really don't think you want to know, though..."

"Just tell me! I don't care what it is! You know I don't like it when people keep secrets from me!" Stinky sighed and whispered the question that he, Luna, and Lukas were wanting answered into Punchy's ear. "Ah! Why would you ask that! I-I-I ugh! I'm not answering that! Why did you tell me!"

"You asked! And if you don't answer, you know what impression that'll give us," Luna said, biting lip so to not laugh again. "But fine, you don't have to answer now. Heehee. " Punchy crossed his arms. It was the third time he blushed today. "Let's forget it," Luna laughed once more. "Let's go to the city! I want a shoe shine!" They looked down at their shoes and nodded.

They made their way from Nook's shop to the bus. On the way, Dizzy bumped into a tree, while he was taking about how beautiful the sky was. When they reached the bus station, they were all surprised to see the bus already there, and worse yet, no driver.

"Uh, is it me still dizzy from the tree, or is the bus here without Kapp'n." Dizzy asked rubbing his head.

"No, it's not you. That is so weird. How often does this happen?" Luna asked the others.

"It doesn't happ-" Lukas half-answered.

"Yeah never. You're right it is weird. HELLOO!" Punchy yelled. "Kapp'n where are ya! Hmm... maybe we should go back to the museum and go the the café, he might be there."

"Good idea Punch. Let's go." Lukas said, a little late for the others were already on their way. He shook off his surprise and ran after them.

Once they were close the others stopped and waited for Lukas, who still hadn't caught up. "Today certainly has been weird. The weirdest part was Punchy having a good idea." Luna said laughing. Punchy gave a look and laughed sarcastically. They entered the museum and noticed something even weirder. "Where is Blathers?" Luna asked. Before anyone even had a chance to answer Stinky ran into the café. He came back shortly after.

"Better yet, where is Brewster?" Stinky asked no one in particular. "Something really weird is going on... Weren't they _just_ here? I-I'll be right back." With that, he ran out of the museum and headed southwest of the town. The others looked at each other for answers, but they each just shrugged. While they waited, they split up and searched each of the exhibits. "Hey... you guys" Called a voice from the lobby of the museum. The others ran to see Stinky with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "None of the...the... The Town Hall... Nook's shop... The Able Sisters... no one... whew!" Lukas let him lean on him while he caught his breath. The others looked at each other stunned.

"Unless there was some sort of town meeting, I don't think this should happen," Dizzy said. The others looked at him, stunned.

"You- you're a _genius_! We were totally ridiculous! Of course, a town meeting!" Luna said, almost speechless by Dizzy's random intelligence.

"We should make sure... they have never had a Town Meeting without telling me... I'll assist you," Said a voice that belonged to a boy who was at the doorway of the museum; with blond hair, hazel eyes, and wearing his famous tan trench coat...

* * *

**Note: **Haha, I'm horrible at cliffhangers, I know, sorry! I really love this chapter, don't know why though... I was listening to "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya'" by Dropkick Murphys through most of this... now I want to write a Happy Tree Friends story... I don't know you decide. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: **Yay! I've been so happy lately my life is just going so well! Well, anywho you are all going to have to wait until NEXT chapter to find out what happens, MUAHAHA!! This chapter will be little snippets and bits of flashbacks about the beginnings of the town. Also, I'm not sure I made it clear before, but the characters in this story are human-like, sort of. Well, they go by human years (like how Tom Nook is twenty-three) I hope I got that settled. AND there is a little bit more of slash references in this too! But again, no yaoi, just funny stuff! Anyway enjoy :)

* * *

_BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0002_

"Ah, this town will have a grand future, son. I can smell it." A young tortoise looked at the man who spoke, his father, and smirked.

"Father, you're a tortoise," the young one said, "not a bloodhound." The father and son duo laughed and enjoyed the sight of their new found town which was directly out the window of the, also new, town hall building.

After a moment or two, the father spoke. "Son, I'm leaving the town to you." The father looked at his son, examining his reaction. The son was utterly appalled. His eyes looked as if they would pop out of his head at any moment.

"Father! You're crazy! I can't manage a town! I'm only twenty-five a-and naïve! How do you expect me to-"

"Son, relax! I'm leaving the town to you, it's settled. There is nothing you can say or do that will change my mind. I can only see a great future for this town when it's in _your_ hands. I'm sorry I guess you'll just have to learn to manage a town. I have always wanted you to have opportunities and this is one. Anyway my train is almost here I-"

"You're leaving!? How can you leave me here? How long are you going to be gone? No! You can't leave, Father! No," the son cried, attempting to keep his father with him. "Please..." The father just smiled sympathetically and lovingly and patted his son on the shoulder. Behind them a train arrived at train station not too far away. The father of the soon to be mayor left without another word.

*****

_WELCOME TO BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0015_

A sigh could be heard from behind a huge counter in the building with a sign that read: "Town Hall." A tortoise in his early thirties was the creator of the sound. Behind him an assistant, a friend of his father's who had agreed to help, was working with the map of the town. She went by the name Penny. She was currently expecting twins, females, who she promised to name Pelly and Phyllis. She was in her late-thirties and apparently had no husband. Her boyfriend left her when she had become pregnant.

"Penny, what time is it?" The mayor, the tortoise, asked his employee. She glanced at the old fashioned wall clock and made a signal with her hand- she held up five fingers, it was just five o'clock. The worst part? It was the early morning.

"Mayor Tortimer? Should I go into the city to buy some more supplies? I am running out of-"

"No. I'll go, I need something to do. What is it that you need? No, nevermind I'll just get a little of everything. Hand me my coat." The mayor stood up from his position and grabbed the coat from Penny. Finally, he had something to do.

When the bus finally reached the city, the mayor of the pathetically small town stepped out and breathed in the bustling city air. He sighed again thinking how bad of a mayor he was. His town, it was truly pathetic. It only had fifteen people, some of which only travelers who decided to stay a while in this part of California. The others only were there to help him get the town bigger, then they would leave. They were his father's friends. Thankfully, his father had a lot of close friends. He couldn't comprehend how his father thought he could manage a town on his own, when he could barely manage his goldfish – which, for your information, died of starvation. He was thirty, but he has never one to act his age, he was a kid at heart and a kid obviously can't be mayor of a town. He was deep in his depressing thoughts when he bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," The mayor said when he noticed the person was carrying a baby. "I apologize I was... You look very... familiar."

The person was a raccoon. He was caressing the baby while trying to figure out why and how he recognized the tortoise. "Wait," the raccoon said. "William? William Tortimer? Is that you?"

The mayor nodded, but still couldn't recognize the person in front of him. He tried to think, but his memory didn't seem to be working. "It's me," the raccoon said when he noticed his old friend was having trouble. "Richard Nook. Remember? We were the closest friends in high school."

The mayor gasped, his memory finally deciding to work. "Ricky! Oh lord, I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?"

"I've been good thanks. What have you been up to?" Richard looked at his old friend with a big smile. He was always the type to smile at everyone, whether he knew them or not. The baby in his arms awoke and started crying. The raccoon grabbed a pacifier and handed it to the baby raccoon, who settled down.

"Is he yours?" The mayor asked. The other nodded. "Who's the lucky mother and wife? Is she shopping?" The other shook his head.

"She, uh, passed away when she gave birth. She gave me a miracle, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry," The mayor said regretting asking the question. "How old is he? What's his name?"

"His name is Thomas. Thomas Nook. He's only ten months. But enough about my life. What have you done since I saw you last?" Richard asked moving a strand of loose hair out of the baby's eyes.

"Ugh, my father and I founded a town around five years ago."

"Oh! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, but not really. You see he left me to manage it alone. And you remember how bad I am at being responsible! I don't know what to do, Ricky! It's all so confusing! And I don't know if the town will even make! What if-"

"Calm down! Gosh, you haven't changed a bit. Anyway, I've been looking for a job. I know a lot about business and shop keeping. I can perhaps make a shop in your town," the raccoon said with a sympathetic smile. He was always willing to help a friend, even if he hadn't seen said friend in years.

"Oh Ricky! Thank you! You're a life saver! With you by my side, I can make the town prosper!"

*****

_TOWN OF BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0035_

The town was quiet. It had been a long, tiring day. The had just finished celebrating the town's 14th anniversary. In the shop, a young nine year old boy switched the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. He looked around his fathers shop and frowned. Today hadn't been the best day for him. His father couldn't join him at the celebration because he had come down with some sort of sickness. He swore under his breath and went to the back of the shop, where he an his father lived. It was a small, but nice living area that could be accessed by the back door behind the shop or the door in the back of the storage room. He went to the small kitchen and made dinner. He thought of eating dinner with his dad, then going to help the mayor, who was like his second father to him. He decided to do that the next day, for today it was already getting dark.

Earlier in the month, he father had been diagnosed with a sickness that neither the doctors nor his "parents" told him about. His father kept telling him he would be okay, but for some reason the boy hardly believed it. The boy, Thomas, was always very skeptical. This wasn't any different.

His personality wasn't bland, as some people think when come to the shop. Instead he was very irritable. He was more serious than most kids his age, and because of that didn't have too many friends at school. He was thought of as mean by the other kids because he laughed at their expense and didn't seem to be very friendly. He never knew why he was that way, or when he became like that, but it didn't bother him in the least. His father always told him to loosen up and enjoy his childhood, but he never understood his father. He philosophy was that life wasn't to be taken lightly and "loosely" he thought that life was there to take the opportunities, and take them seriously. His dream was to be a business owner, to take over his father's shop and make it an outstanding million-dollar business. How he would do it, he didn't know. But he knew he would. He had to try, for his father.

*****

_THE TOWN OF BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0042_

It had been a month since the death of Richard Nook and four years since he was diagnosed. The town was quiet in silent mourning. By the beach was the twelve year old boy, Thomas, who only went by Tom. He was stone skipping, grabbing only the biggest stones and making them bounce of the water as many times as he could. People would say he was thinking about his dad, but he wasn't. He wasn't even thinking. He was just listening to the sound of the stones bouncing off the ocean and watching the ripples descend in different directions. He was startled when someone from behind him began speaking to him.

"So, how are you feeling?" It was the mayor. Tom didn't even have to turn around to know that. He nodded as a way of saying, "Fine, thanks." The mayor nodded even though the boy couldn't see it. The boy tossed another stone, this time he lost his concentration and it didn't even skip once. He glared at the ocean, swearing at it mentally.

"So, um, unfortunately, I'm going to have to have you open the shop. We can't afford not to." The mayor said trying to get the boy to look at him.

"I can't manage a shop. I'm only twelve. You know that." Tom continued to look the other way. Mayor Tortimer remembered when his father forcefully gave him the town. But, that was different. This time it's necessary. The town needs the shop and he didn't know anything about shop keeping and business. He knew someone who did, Tom Nook. His father taught the boy almost everything he knew. "I want to," the boy said ripping the mayor out of his thoughts momentarily, "But I'm too young to run a shop." The mayor nodded again, uselessly.

"But I need you too. I'm sorry. I'll see if I can get someone to help you, but you have no other option. Sorry. I'll be in the town hall if you need anything." The mayor quickly made his way to the town hall, so that he didn't have to put up with protest. He felt bad about doing to Tom what his father did to him, but he knew he had no other option. He would immediately get to work on trying to find help for the boy.

At the beach, Tom looked back and at seeing the mayor was gone, he smiled. He held a rock in his hands. He looked at it, smiled again and threw it at the ocean, not caring whether it skipped or not. Then, he ran to the shop, _his_ shop.

*****

_BRENTWOOD CITY_

_POPULATION 0076_

A year after Tom told Mayor Tortimer that he didn't need any help owning a shop, the said shop keeper was in his shop fiddling with the cash register. He was thirteen now, and he considered himself an adult. Everyone who knew him, also knew never to call him a kid. The consequences were too drastic. The boy looked up when he heard the door open. In came an unfamiliar person. He put on a fake smile. "Hello. Please, feel free to look around. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks." The customer responded. Then, he made his way to the back of the shop looking for something that Tom decided he didn't care about. The customer was a porcupine in his thirties. He seemed frustrated or worried. Tom looked outside and looked at the clouds drift this way and that. He assumed that it was only about twelve in the afternoon, according to the shadows. He sighed rather loudly grabbing the attention of the customer. He looked at the customer with and irritated look on his face and looked the other way yet again. Moments later the customer came up to Tom.

"Can I speak to the manager?" The customer asked looking around for an adult.

"You're speaking to him." The customer made a face and smiled.

"Uh, no I mean like the adult that runs this shop. Your father perhaps?" The customer again looked around.

"I'll have you know that I am the _adult _that runs this shop. And my father is dead, thank you very much. If you don't believe me I can call the mayor for you to approve." The customer laughed nervously and nodded. Tom frowned and grabbed the phone to call the mayor. He knew this would happen sooner or later. The citizens in the town already accepted him as the manager, but outsiders had no way of finding out. The mayor answered and he gave the phone to the customer, who held a conversation with the mayor for a moment or two.

"Really? But, Mister Mayor, he is, like, what, nine years old? He is just a kid!" The customer argued. Tom overheard and got quite furious.

"I'm thirteen! I'm _not_ a kid! In fact I'm probably more of an adult than you'll ever be! Don't judge me by my age!" Tom snatched the phone and turned his attention to the Mayor. "I refuse to attend to this customer!" The mayor spoke calmly from the other end. After a moment or two, Tom calmed down, but was still unhappy. "Fine... but I won't be happy about it." After he hung up he glared at the customer. "How may I help you, sir?"

"Uh, sorry for making you mad. I was hoping to ask you if you have any baby formula?" The customer was nervous, but seemed apologetic. Tom sighed, the anger and frustration escaping him. He pointed to the third aisle from the back of the store. The customer nodded and made his way there. The young raccoon rolled his eyes and looked outside yet again this time, his attention went to this girl around the same age as himself who was walking to the store.

"Daddy?!" She yelled when she entered the store. She was probably the daughter of the customer that Tom had argued with. She was a deep maroon color. Her eyes were big and black. She went up to Tom with a shy smile. "Um do you know where my father is?" Tom thought about smiling back, but decided not to and pointed to where her father was. She nodded and skipped to her father. She whispered something to him and came back. "You own this shop? You seem to young to."

Tom took a deep breath trying not to get mad again. "Yes. I do. Maybe I am too young, but I don't give a damn." The girl eyes widened at the last word he said.

"You're not supposed to say things like that!" The girl said, appalled.

"Says who? Your daddy?" The girl nodded. "Yeah? Well, daddy's aren't forever. So screw it. Anyway-"

"What happened to your dad? Do," The girl paused. "Do you have one?" Tom shook his head. "What about a mom?" Tom shook his head again. "Aww, you're an orphan? What's your name?"

"I'm Tom. Tom Nook." Tom sighed and waited for her name in return. The girl just stared at him funnily. "Are you planning on introducing yourself anytime soon?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm Sable Able!" Tom chuckled lightly at the name. The girl looked confused for a moment. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Tom was caught off guard with that question. He thought, remembering something his father had told him. "Um, I think I have a half sister. My father was telling me the whole thing, but I wasn't paying too much attention. I think that her mother got custody of her or something like that. I have no idea. I just know that she is like a few years older than I. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" Tom mentally scolded himself. Why did he just keep the conversation going?

"Yeah, I just recently became an older sister! She is only a few months old. Her name is Mable!" Tom nodded, uninterested. Finally, the father of the girl came to the counter with a couple of things in his hands.

*****

_CITY OF BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0101_

The city was prospering. The Able's decided to move in and start a clothing store. Sable always visited Nook. He pretended to be very irritated by it, but truly, he was fine with having a friend. The town was bustling now, with travelers, citizens, and other things.

Sable's parents died a few months back, so she was forced to care for her little sister. She still tried to have fun, but lately she had been more and more uptight.

A week ago a young boy a little younger than Tom and Sable moved in with his sister, Celeste. Apparently, the boy was some sort of genius. He was college graduate, and only at the age of sixteen. Tom was eighteen then, and Sable seventeen. The boy was named Blathers and he had a English accent. Sable wanted to befriend him, but Tom thought that he was too much of a show-off. The boy talked too much and didn't show much interest in anything but fossils, paintings, and fish. He had a fear of bugs, the only thing that Tom liked about him – it was easy to laugh at him for that. The boy and his sister talked about wanting to start a museum in town, and the mayor thought it was a brilliant idea.

Tom was working in his store, when he heard the news from Sable. "Tommy! Blathers is really going to do it!"

"I told you not to call me that! And do what?" Tom asked, irritated. Sable laughed at her irritated friend.

"The museum! They are going to start building it! I know you don't like him, but you gotta give him some credit for that moxie!" Sable went around the counter grabbed her friend and ran to the spot reserved for the new museum. "See!"

"Oh, hullo! Don't you think this is the absolute perfect spot for the museum? My dream is coming true!" Blathers said smiling at the picture of the museum in his mind. Tom rolled his eyes, mumbled something and went back to his shop. "He doesn't like me, does he?" Blathers asked Sable.

"Huh? No! Of course he likes you! He is just... shy. You know what? I'm gonna try to set you guys up!"

"Ooh! Me too!" Celeste, who was fourteen, yet also very intelligent, interrupted.

"Oh... wait, what?!" But it was too late, Sable and Celeste were already running to Nook's Cranny, Tom's shop.

*****

_WELCOME TO THE_

_CITY OF BRENTWOOD_

_POPULATION 0155_

It has been around twenty-five years since the finding of the City of Brentwood. Tom Nook is found fiddling with his cash register, Sable is found teaching Mable how to be polite when tending to customers, and Blathers is trying to keep himself awake in his museum. A pigeon named Brewster moved in to help his friend Blathers and was the brewer in the café located in the museum. Celeste was looking through her telescope in the observatory above the museum.

The town was quiet. Not even the wind blew, almost as if scared to break the silence. Ever so often the ocean, as quietly as possible, rose against the shore and went down again. In the town hall mayor Tortimer, now fifty years of age, was napping in the corner while Penny's daughters Pelly and Phyllis worked at the counter. Penny died of the same sickness as Richard Nook did a while back, but the girls seemed happy to know their mother is in a better place, well Pelly did.

The town gate was even more silent, if possible. The two guards, were playing cards while trying to keep awake. The bus station, right in front of the gate, was empty, but only temporarily. When the clock struck exactly twelve in the afternoon, the bus arrived at the station. It was almost eery how it arrived in the middle of nothingness and silence. Out of the bus came a blonde haired, hazel eyed, and tan trench coat clad boy. He smiled at the bus driver and waved as it disappeared leaving silence to take over yet again.

Slowly, the towns people went out of their houses to see the new face. It wasn't like they haven't seen another person in ages, just that they never seen another person as confident and handsome as this particular boy. The boy entered the town hall and spoke to Pelly who smiling happily at him. She handed him a map to his new house. He was moving in. When he reached his house Tom tapped him on his shoulder. A while ago the mayor got Tom in charge of property construction, and well anything that had to do with houses and the land. He was, after all knowledgeable in that field as well.

"Hello," the boy said smoothly. His voice was smooth and sincere, yet new and forward. Tom nodded.

"So, this will be your house. I'm Tom Nook, your landlord, and your local shop keeper. The total mortgage will be 17,400 Bells." The boy nodded, smiling confidently.

The boy, Ken, was definitely a contributor to the turning point in the town...

* * *

**Note:** I am so sorry this chapter was so damn humongous. I went a little crazy writing this chapter, but I love how it turned out. I just hate the ending. So, uh, forgive me for the long chapter. Hope you liked it in the least bit :)


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